00:01Whoa! It's a huge flying island right above your head!
00:05In the era of AI, you may think it's nothing but a neural network video,
00:09but let me tell you that first, it's very much real.
00:13Two, if you want, you can as well visit it.
00:16It may even hold the key to the El Dorado secret.
00:21This place is called Roraima, and it's actually not an island at all.
00:26It's a mountain.
00:26Due to a number of factors, we get this vision of an island floating somewhere above us.
00:33But it's all about the flat top this mountain has.
00:36There's no standard peak, so it looks flat, and the thick clouds get blended into the skies,
00:42thus creating this optical illusion.
00:46Despite the advancements in satellite technology and affordable air travel,
00:50there are still few places on Earth that feel truly uncharted,
00:54like Mount Roraima is one of them.
00:56It's been around for almost 2 billion years,
01:00and it's one of the oldest formations on our planet.
01:03For comparison, dinosaurs appeared somewhere around 240 million years ago.
01:09Some scientists believe that this area used to be a part of the supercontinent called Gondwanda Land.
01:15And back then, it wasn't yet a mountain.
01:19When the supercontinent split apart, the erosion created this magnificent tabletop mountain.
01:25But what's interesting about this place is not the age,
01:28but the fact that it still looks prehistoric.
01:31It's almost untouched.
01:33The reason for that is late exploration of this part of South America.
01:37By the way, we still discover new flora and fauna species living there every year.
01:43For a mountain, it's relatively short, only 9,220 feet.
01:49There are cities located at a higher pitch above sea level,
01:53say La Paz in Bolivia, whose elevation is 11,940 feet.
01:59So people could be living in the area of Mount Roraima too,
02:03despite its hard-to-get location.
02:05But there's a twist to it.
02:08The Pemun people are the original inhabitants of this region,
02:11and they have an incredibly rich tradition of myths.
02:15For instance, their mythology features deities that live on the Teppui,
02:20which are flat-topped mountains found in the grasslands.
02:23These mountains are considered sacred,
02:25and are off-limits to the living since they're believed to be the dwelling places
02:29of ancestor spirits, known as Mawari.
02:34So, there are traditions that restrict living in this area,
02:38but still, some sources claim that local communities do dwell there.
02:43But, obviously, modern problems lie not only in the spirits,
02:48but in very much limited job opportunities there.
02:51However, guided tours are actually available.
02:54So, what will you see if you ever dare to visit this place?
02:59At the base of the mountain lies an evergreen rainforest,
03:03featuring trees that range in height from 82 to 150 feet,
03:07with some specimens reaching up to 200 feet.
03:11Some of them are endemic, for sure,
03:13meaning that it's the only place in the world where you can find them.
03:16Like, you can find orchids as large as a medium-sized tree.
03:21It's not a surprise, because due to the remoteness of this place,
03:25species here may have followed a completely different evolutionary trail,
03:29unlike most of the flora and fauna on our planet.
03:32Next, you have all the chances to stumble upon a waterfall at the base of Roraima
03:38that's been flowing for millions of years.
03:42Fun fact, there are no rivers on Roraima Summit,
03:45but the rainfall seeping through the porous rocks create this incredible view.
03:50All combined together, make it look like some lost world, right?
03:55By the way, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was inspired by Tepui,
03:59these tabletop mountains, when he was writing his The Lost World novel.
04:04Yep, it's not only Sherlock he was famous for.
04:08Among these natural wonders, Roraima stands out as the most accessible Tepui.
04:14There are more similar formations, but they're way less Trek-friendly.
04:18Yeah, amongst other mountains, Roraima may be the easiest to get to.
04:23But still, it is very hard to get there,
04:26even taking into account all the modern technologies.
04:29So, how did the discovery happen?
04:32Hard to say for sure, but there is a theory backed up by official records.
04:37Back in the 16th century, here was this Sir Walton Raleigh.
04:42Look at his fancy collar and mustache.
04:44He was one of the most important people during the Elizabethan period.
04:49In 1594, he got to know about a great golden city near the Coroní River.
04:55That idea stuck in his mind.
04:57Maybe it was something like a get-rich-quick scheme for him.
05:01Anyways, one year later, he went to explore what is now Guyana and eastern Venezuela,
05:07and he described precisely Mount Roraima.
05:10On March 22nd, 1595, an English fleet led by Walter Raleigh showed up off the coast of Trinidad.
05:20Raleigh tried to make nice with the Spanish settlers there
05:23by trading and even inviting them aboard his ships for some entertainment.
05:27After a few drinks, the Spaniards opened up about a person having some particular activities in Guyana,
05:35sharing insights about the land's geography and the treasures they believed were hidden inland.
05:41Fast forward to April 7th, Raleigh pulled off a surprise attack on the town of San Jose
05:47and managed to capture this very person.
05:49After squeezing him for information, Raleigh declared his own plan to head into Guyana
05:55on a quest for the legendary Golden City.
05:59Since his ships couldn't navigate the narrow channels of the Orinoco Delta,
06:04Raleigh had his carpenters modify one of them, likely a Galeas, to only draw five feet of water.
06:11This ship could carry 60 men, while another 40 were split among smaller boats.
06:16Progress was slow as they navigated through the Delta,
06:20getting lost in what Raleigh described as a labyrinth of rivers.
06:25Eventually, they made their way to the Canyon Monamo,
06:28and then into the main Orinoco River.
06:32A bit further upstream, where the Orinoco meets the Caroni,
06:35Raleigh encountered a native chief named Topiowari, and they hit it off.
06:41Topiowari revealed that his people had been pushed out of inland Guyana
06:45by a fierce tribe from the west.
06:47This fed into the prevailing belief, shared by both the Spanish and Raleigh,
06:52that El Dorado was home to runaway Incas from Peru.
06:57Topiowari also mentioned that the invading tribe was rich in gold,
07:01claiming that their nearest town, just a four-day trek south,
07:05was the source of gold plates that were being traded far and wide.
07:09But he hinted that even finer treasures lay deeper in the land.
07:17Raleigh then made his way to the mouth of the Caroni,
07:20but strong currents halted any further progress.
07:24He sent out two scouting groups on land, while he led a third one.
07:28They unearthed a few shiny stones that they eagerly dug out of the ground,
07:31but most turned out to be worthless.
07:34They learned that a massive lake about 40 miles wide
07:38lay at the head of the Caroni, filled with alluvial gold.
07:43However, with no way to move forward and the Orinoco's waters rising,
07:48Raleigh had to call off the expedition,
07:50hoping to come back when conditions were better.
07:53It wasn't until 1616, over 20 years later,
07:58that Raleigh got the go-ahead from James I for a second try in Guyana.
08:04He assured the king he could retrieve a lot of gold from a mine near the Caroni
08:09that he had heard about on his earlier trip.
08:12James specifically ordered him not to clash with the Spanish,
08:16who were still controlling the Orinoco area.
08:19When Raleigh arrived in South America,
08:21he stayed on the ship while sending Lawrence Kemmes and a team to look for the mine.
08:26For reasons that remain unclear,
08:29Kemmes ended up attacking and capturing the Spanish town of Santo Tome,
08:34resulting in the demise of Raleigh's son, Watt, during the skirmish.
08:39Unable to find the mine, the crew returned to the ship,
08:42and facing Raleigh's anger, Kemmes took his own life.
08:47Back in England, Raleigh was put on trial for allegedly lying about the mine
08:51and trying to provoke a conflict with Spain,
08:54which ultimately led to his execution.
08:58Or maybe those were the Mawari spirits who didn't appreciate the intrusion.
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